


The result of self-imposed consequences

by Hovl



Category: The Worst Witch (TV 2017)
Genre: Gen, Suicide Attempt, post 4x13
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-06-05
Updated: 2020-06-05
Packaged: 2021-03-04 02:35:38
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Major Character Death
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,489
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24556312
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Hovl/pseuds/Hovl
Summary: Ethel's up on the Ramparts of Cackles. Looking at the sky, she is about to punish herself for her actions.
Relationships: Ethel Hallow & Mildred Hubble
Comments: 1
Kudos: 11





	The result of self-imposed consequences

Ethel looked up at the sky. She had always enjoyed  astronomy . The clouds prevented  her from seeing much , however, she could make out the Gemini twins. They sat in the sky , inseparable.  When she was younger, Ethel had change d them to be mother and daughter. She had imagined her own mother up there  alongside herself.  Ethel had felt as though they were inseparable. She had grown apa rt from her mother when it became clear her mother didn’t care. That was what made her so jealous of Mildred ; she had  a mother who cared for her. Julie had always been happy, but when she was with Mildred, unless  the girl had done something wrong, she looked like nothing  could bring her down. Then Ethel remembered Mildred . Laying in the  potions lab. Her rival hadn’t even been able to cry. Ethel had pull ed them a part by trapping Julie in vanishment. She was gone . Mildred might end up writing with her mother.

That's why she was up here on the ramparts . She didn’t know if she was going to be allowed to stay at the school; truth be told, she didn’t want to.  She had caused Mildred so much pain because she wanted to be head girl. Julie was dead because she wanted to be head girl. She  knew she wouldn’t be able to live with the guilt. She set to work lowering the protective spell that prevent people from falling off. She  sunk further into herself . She had  learned all the spells cast over Cackle’s  to show off and give her a higher standing in the school. She had ruined that standing now. She might as well get this over with.

With the spells lowered, Ethel turned her back on the edge. She wanted to be able to look at the sky when she died.

“Ethel!”

As she was falling, Ethel spotted Mildred holding her hands out.  Then she stopped falling and felt herself being tugged back onto the castle.  She employed some of her own magic. She had hoped to overwhelm Mildred’s magic and allow herself to fall. She wasn’t strong  enough, so they were now in a battle  with Ethel suspended over the side of the castle. Ethel was looking at Mildred and could see pain in her eyes.

“Why?”

It was a simple question  which had a simple answer.

“I killed your mother.”

“No Ethel, Agatha killed her. You helped get Miss Cackle back. Fine she couldn’t remember, but you still helped.”

_ How? How was Mildred trying to convince her that this wasn’t her fault _ _? _ _ If it wasn’t for her, Agatha would still be in the painting. _ __

“I let her out Mildred. This wouldn’t have happened if I wasn’t so selfish.”

“But the intention wasn’t to get mum killed. There is good in you. You have shown it with your sisters. You just need to learn to show it with you r peers  as well .”

“But your mum is dead because of me. Your capacity for forgiveness will be the death you Mildred.”

“That’s a maybe, but what kind of life would it be if I turned my back on people.  Everyone has good and bad in them; they just need to be able to find the good.”

They continued the conversation for another half an hour. Ethel was trying to convince  Mildred that she didn’t deserve forgiveness whilst Mildred went on about how death wouldn’ t help anyone. This back and forth lasted for so long that Mildred’s magic started to burn out. Both girls could see the tell-tale signs. This made Ethel smile as she  knew the end was near. For Mildred, it made her panic as she knew the end was near. 

“Please Ethel, if you insist that this was your fault, then make it up to me by coming back up to the castle. Sure, you say that it may be the death of me, but I forgive you Ethel. ”

“Mildred, I would only serve as a reminder of what I did. Let me go and move on with your life.”

That was when the magic went.  Ethel watched on as Mildred disappeared behind the castle. She felt the  air rush around her. During the argument, the sky had cleared to reveal a perfect night sky . A perfect night to die. As she hit the ground, everything went black.

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Ethel woke up in the infirmary , her head pounding . She was surrounded by cards from some of the students and staff.  They had cared enough to send her stuff. She had assumed that it was just Mildred who had forgiven her. But it wasn’t.  She went through all the cards. As she opened the last card, her heart dropped. Mildred hadn’t sent her one. Had Mildred given up on  her? She needed to apologise to the girl. Not just for killing her  mother, not just for last night, but for everything. Seeing how people still cared for her, despite everything she  ha d done , it had made her realise how important they were. Their forgiveness would dry up, even Mildred’s, so she needed to change.  To keep this feeling. The first step was to apologise to Mildred.

She turned to see the door opening. She wondered if it was Mildred. She wouldn’t put it past the girl  to do so. Alas, Miss Cackle walked through the door. She  made eye contact with her headmistress.

“Oh good, you’re awake.” She flashed Ethel a grin. “How are you feeling?”

“I feel great. I mean my head hurts,  but other than that.”

“Good, good. Now, Ethel could you please tell me what happened that night.”

“That night? Not last night?” Ethel was confused. She couldn’t have been asleep for that long could she?

“It was two nights ago now. Can you please explain.”

And Ethel did. She could have recalled the entire conversation if she wanted to , but she decided to only give the  g ist of it. She explained her feelings, how she believed that she could make everything better through her  suicide . She spoke of ho w Mildred had tried to convince her not to, but that she could n’t see the points she was making. About the magic battle they had. Miss Cackle  had always worn her heart on her sleeve, she didn’t try to hide her sadness throughout the story.

“Why did you need to ask me  anyway ? Mildred was there.”

Miss Cackle looked at the ground.

“Presumably, Mildred didn’t account  for the release of tension when her magic burnt out. She fell  off the castle. She's dead.”

Ethel’s heart, which by this point felt like it was in her feet, shattered at the last two words. She had killed Mildred. She had the same spiral of thought s as before. Then she  remembered Mildred’s last words. _ ‘Sure, you say that it may be the death of me, but I forgive you Ethel.’ _ Forgiveness had been the death of  her. If Mildred had nothing to forgive, then she wouldn’t have fallen.

She could see that Miss Cackle was trying to say something, but Ethel could n’t hear any thing . Eventually Miss Cackle left.  The spiral continued . The thoughts got darker and darker. She felt detached from reality. Eventually  her thought turned, once again, to suicide. So, that night she headed back out to the  ramparts. It was a perfect night. She lowered the protection spell s once again. She decide d to jump  from the side where Mildred fell. She let her heel hang over the edge. As she was about to jump, she stopped. She had been all ready to make it up to Mildred. Why should her death change that? Ethel might think that her death  would be a way to make up for it, but Mildred certainly didn’t. That was why she was  dead.

Ethel walked forward from the edge. She knew that she would make it up to Mildred. All the harm that she had ever done. She didn’t  believe that she could ever make it up fully, but she would try her best. Glancing up at the sky , she saw Gemini. The  inseparable mother and daughter.

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Ten years later

Ethel was up early. Today was such a big day.  After a  years long battle, fighting with  pretty much  everyone including her own parents , this was it. She looked at the building. The Hubble Memorial School. The first school to  exclusively serve students from  ordinary backgrounds. She had only  just managed to secure funding; she didn’t want to have to  charge the families. The funding had only been given by the council when she had convinced th em that Mildred deserved it for what she had managed to achieve.  The nerves had woken her up. There was so much that could go wrong. But the first intake  were due to arrive  today. She  took a look at her favourite  constellation . Gemini. The  inseparable mother and daughter.


End file.
